Dwann B - The Cultural Heretic

On the 50-year anniversary of Spirit, we say rest in peace to Charles Stepney—the man who helped bring the Earth, Wind & Fire sound together.

Stepney was essential to the Chicago recording industry through Chess Records. He worked with The Dells, helped produce Minnie Riperton’s first project and Rotary Connection, and brought his genius to Earth, Wind & Fire.

He helped assemble the Phenix Horns, rounded out the string arrangements and gave a young band clear musical direction as it grew into one of the greatest groups ever assembled.

Charles Stepney never lived to hear Spirit released. But his spirit is all over that masterpiece.

Let’s keep the masters’ memory alive. Rest well, Charles Stepney.

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1 week ago | [YT] | 322

Dwann B - The Cultural Heretic

HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY TO JOHN COLTRANE!

He redefined music with his avant-garde sound, revolutionized the mathematics of music through his harmonic innovations and exploration of the circle of fifths, and revealed the spiritual roots of music, showing us how to meditate through sound.

Coltrane sent music into the GREAT UNKNOWN, exploring musical possibilities we're still trying to understand today. He pushed the boundaries of harmony, improvisation, and spirituality, taking music to places few could have imagined.

Happy birthday to one of the most important figures in the development and history of WORLD MUSIC. A century later, we're still catching up to his genius!

1 week ago | [YT] | 1,879

Dwann B - The Cultural Heretic

They know what they’re doing.

Part of being Black in America is watching people play in our face.

People are mad about the Converse controversy because we know the history of the Klan. But what doesn’t get talked about nearly as much is another group with a long history of terrorizing Black Americans: the Night Riders.

Night Riders operated across America—the South, Midwest, West, and East. They traveled at night in groups, terrorizing Black communities and settlements. As America modernized, that racial violence didn’t disappear. Black families were also subjected to shootings into their homes from automobiles.

The original Ku Klux Klan largely collapsed during Reconstruction. Then The Birth of a Nation helped romanticize the Klan and contributed to its national revival in 1915.

But nighttime racial terror never simply disappeared.

That’s why the symbolism matters.

As a kid, one of my favorite shows was Knight Rider. I didn’t know enough history then to even think about the words. Now I look back and think, damn—they been playing in our face.

And they’re playing in our face now.

But don’t let it control your emotions.

These are dog whistles aimed at the lowest ranks of the dominant society—giving people somebody else to look down on so they can feel elevated themselves. If somebody needs that to feel good about who they are, that tells you something about them.

Don’t get mad. Laugh. Remember. Pay attention.

This is what they think about you.

It is not who you are.

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2 weeks ago | [YT] | 638

Dwann B - The Cultural Heretic

Rest in peace, Rosalind Ashford, soprano from Martha and the Vandellas.

They helped float Motown during the early ’60s, before the Temptations and the Supremes blew up. Their early run included “Come and Get These Memories,” “Heat Wave,” “Quicksand,” “Dancing in the Street,” “Nowhere to Run,” and later classics like “I’m Ready for Love” and “Jimmy Mack.”

Their song “Dancing in the Street” changed R&B and American pop music. Motown may not have survived without the early string of hits from her group.

Background singers are often taken for granted, but they are the air that breathes life into a song. Rosalind came from an era when harmonies had to be airtight. Every note mattered. Every texture mattered. Those voices weren’t simply sitting behind the lead—they were part of the arrangement and part of what made those records timeless.

Rest well to an unsung icon.

Read my blog on how “Dancing in the Street” changed R&B and helped build the Motown sound:
incensenashtrays.com/how-dancing-in-the-street-cha…

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2 weeks ago | [YT] | 1,193

Dwann B - The Cultural Heretic

There were more deaths surrounding the 60s folk rock music scene than the 90s hip hop scene and modern drill rap scene. Bruce Davis was one of those drill rockers, he killed gangster rocker Gary Hinman.

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 332

Dwann B - The Cultural Heretic

Updates from Billion and Brandi on the Leimert Park Situation

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 30

Dwann B - The Cultural Heretic

Dope interview. Check it out.

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 28

Dwann B - The Cultural Heretic

FULL INTERVIEW DROPS TOMORROW! 🎺🔥

I sat down with Josef Leimberg to talk musicianship, creativity, and his journey working with Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Erykah Badu, SZA and more.

Josef is one of those musicians whose work you’ve heard even if you didn’t know his name. This conversation gets into the musicians, sessions, and stories behind the music.

📅 9/10
⏰ 9 AM PST
📺 WATCH HERE: Josef Leimberg Full Interview⁠

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#JosefLeimberg #IncenseNAshtrays #KendrickLamar #ErykahBadu #SZA #SnoopDogg #Jazz #HipHop #BlackAmericanMusic #MusicHistory

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 233

Dwann B - The Cultural Heretic

Check out my clip from The Culture United

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 43

Dwann B - The Cultural Heretic

Fat Jolezal says he’s Black. I guess he’s Americas first Transracial rapper.

4 weeks ago | [YT] | 2,139